Monday, January 7, 2013

KAIROS AUTONOMI COMPLETES THE FIRST PHASE OF DELIVERIES FOR NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU MOVING GROUND TARGET CONTRACT

Unmodified ranges equipped with necessary technologies to operate unmanned moving ground targets as part of training operationsKairos Autonomi, Inc., a world leader in robotic appliqué kits and developer of the Pronto4 Robotic Appliqué Kit, has completed the 1st phase of its base year contract to deliver unmanned moving ground targets at National Guard Bureau training ranges across the United States.Working only two to three days at each range, the Kairos team modified the existing ranges and configured each of them for unmanned vehicle operation. Kairos personnel also installed radio infrastructure and ground control station hardware and software, and delivered an optionally unmanned moving ground target powered by the Pronto4.In addition to the hardware and software delivery and installation, Kairos personnel provided training to range personnel that will enable them to remotely operate the vehicles and maintain the radio and control station infrastructure for future missions. Kairos will complete phases two and three in the first half of 2013, and will continue releasing its Pronto4 Robotic Appliqué Kits to other ranges throughout the United States.“As we demonstrated at Airburst Range, give us a small budget and a few days, and we can provide any range with the ability to operate and maintain unmanned ground or surface targets,” said Chandler Griffin, Director of Targets Programs at Kairos Autonomi. “Our effort with the National Guard Bureau shows our capability as a company to stand up existing ranges with solid infrastructure, robots and operational training in a short period of time.”The Pronto4 Robotic Appliqué Kit can be installed in about 4 hours by a trained team of two technicians. For each NGB range, the Pronto4 enables an unmanned vehicle to drive by remote control operation in conjunction with communications infrastructure. The Pronto4 can also be upgraded to provide GPS path following capability.The Pronto4 enables existing vehicles or surface vessels to be utilized as realistic, unmanned moving ground targets as part of training and test operations. Kairos supports a broad training range customer base and continues to develop cost-effective, high-quality hardware and software products for training range customers worldwide.